The Eudora Welty prize is awarded by Mississippi University for Women and the University Press of Mississippi to a book published by UPM in the past year in the areas of Southern studies, women’s studies, and/or literature. The press nominates the books, and the MUW committee selects the winner. Dr. Boyett will do a reading and signing of her book at the writer’s symposium in Columbus, Miss., from Oct. 20-22, 2016.

Right to Revolt: The Crusade for Racial Justice in Mississippi’s Central Piney Woods explores one of the most transformative racial revolutions for suffrage, desegregation, equal opportunity, and justice in the South. Her manuscript, from which she developed her book, won the Franklin L. Riley Prize (2012) and placed as a finalist in the Narrative Non-Fiction Category, William Faulkner Wisdom Competition, Words and Music Festival (2013).

Dr. Boyett’s work is a shining example of how Loyola continues to make strides in social justice causes across the South. “I hoped by writing the book that I could shed light on the deep complexities of one of the most tortured and transformative struggles for racial justice in the South,” Dr. Boyett said.

Through her work, Dr. Boyett has helped to establish Loyola as an industry leader in diversity and inclusion. Loyola was recently ranked fourth in the region for diversity by U.S. News and World Report and made The Princeton Review’s Top 20 list for being culturally inclusive.

The prize includes an honorarium from Mississippi University for Women and a hosted trip to MUW for the 28th annual Eudora Welty Writer’s Symposium. The symposium includes the gathering of dozens of writers for social events, a gala, readings, and book signings.

“This book became something of a personal crusade for me and inspired me to do the work I do now at the Women’s Resource Center,” said Dr. Boyett.